Nail-puller



F. WILLIAMS.

-NA-IL FULLER. APPLICATION' FILED APR. 14, 1920.

Patented Feb. 15,1921.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK WILLIAMS, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR 01F ONE-FOURTH T FRED- LUTGERSAND ONE-HALF TO LOUIS BURNIS, BOTH OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

NAIL-PULLER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 15, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK VVILLIAMs, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Nail-Puller, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to a nail puller or extractor andhas for an object the provision of means for readily gripping the head of a driven or partly driven nail and means for readily withdrawing the nail from the material in which it has been driven.

A further object of this invention is to provide a nail or spike extractor of generally improved construction whereby the device will be simple, durable and inexpen sive in construction as well as convenient, practical eflicient and serviceable in its use.

With theabove and other objects inview which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understoodthat Within the scope of what is claimed, changes in the precise embodiment oft-he invention shown can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The invention has been illustrated in its preferred embodiments in the accompanying drawings; wherein Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the device;

Fig. 2 is a View taken at an angle of ninety degrees with respect to Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section view of the device;

Fig. i is a transverse sectional View taken on the line l i of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a fragmental longitudinal sectional view, showing the device in position to extract a partly drawn nail.

Referring to the drawings there is shown a casing comprising a tubular member having a laterally extending enlargement 11 formed intermediate its ends. A rod or stem 12 is mounted for longitudinal sliding movement within the tubular member 10, and rack teeth 13 are formed along the longitudinal edge of the stem 12. These teeth 13 mesh with the teeth ofa pinion 14 formed on a transversely extending shaft 15 which is mounted for rotation within a transversely disposed cylindrical recess 16 formed within the enlargement 11. The pinion 1 1 and shaft 15 are held against longitudinal or axial movement with respect to thecylindrical' recess 16, by means of a screw or securing device 17 which extends through an aperture 18 formed in the en largement 11 and is threaded into the shaft as shownat 19, and the enlarged head 20 of the screw engages the outer face of the'enlargement 11. A transversely extending aperture 21 is formed adjacent the outer terminal of the shaft 15 for the reception of amanipulating handle or lever 22.

One terminal of the stem 12 is curved or turned upon itself, as indicated at 23, and it is thenflattenedand bifurcated to provide a claw 24c; The opposed terminal of the stemiis reducedto provide an attaching lug 25 to. which opposing gripping jaws 26 are pivotally secured as shown at 27. Eachjaw includesan attaching ear 28, from which point the jaw is laterally tapered as -indi1- cated at 29, and the outer terminal of the jaw is provided with'an undercut claw 30. The tapered or inclined surface 29 is1s'o-dis posed that the greatest transverse dimension of each jaw is found at a point adjacent the claw 30, or at a point remote from the pivot or securing point 27. at taching ear 28 is reduced in dimension to render them flexible so that the jaws 26 are normally spaced apart, but may readily yield to a closed or gripping position. The adjacent longitudinal edges of the jaws 26 are provided with opposed slots of kerts 31 which are adapted to receive the head of a partly driven nail in order to entirely ex tract them. That terminal of the tubular member which is disposed adjacent the jaws 26 has its inner wall flared or tapered, as shown at 32 to coeperate with the inclined or tapered portions of the jaws 26 in order to move them to their closed or gripping position.

Diametrically opposed legs or supporting members 33 extending longitudinally from that terminal of the tubular member 10 which is disposed adjacent the jaw'26, and these legs 23 are adapted to engage the material from which the nail is to be with drawn.

In operatiomthe jaws 26 are placed adj acent the head of the nail so that the claws will engage the head. Then the entire casing is moved toward the jaws 26 until the V curely grip the nail.

cars 28. I.

flared end 32 of the tubular member 10 engages the tapered surfaces 29 of the jaw 26, and further movement of the tubular member 10- in this direction will cause the jaws 26 to be moved toward each other and se Now the outer ends of the supporting legs 33 engage the surfaces of the material from which the nail is to be withdrawn and by simply rotating the'shaft 15 by, means of the lever 22, the stem is moved away from the materialin which the nail is driven and continued rotation of the shaft 15 and pinion 14:, will entirely extract the nail. In structures-where partlydrawn or protrudingnail are formed, the protruding head of the nail may be readily gripped in the kerfs 31, as shown in Fig. 5 and then the nail may be entirely extracted. Relatively large nails or spikes may be readily extracted by employing the claw 24. It will be observed that by forming the jaws 26 so that their greatest transverse or lateral dimension is located adjacent. the

claws and remote from the attaching ears 28, that the engagement of the flared end '32 of the tubular members 10 with the inclined surface 29 will exert the greatest gripping force to the jaw at a point adjacent the claws 80. This arrangement causes the claws 30 to be forced under the head ofthe nail and at the same time causes only a minimum pressure to be imparted to the attaching Having thus described my devicewhat is claimed is 1. A device of the class described including a tubular member having its inner wall flared at one terminal thereof, a stem slidably mounted w thin "the tubular member, opposed gripping aws, reslhent attaching ears formed on the saidjaiws and secured to the, said stem, tapered rigid portions formed on the aws and extending outwardly from the resilient attaching ears, undercut claws formed at the outer terminals of the rigid portions of the aws, the rigid portions of the jaws having their greatest transverse di mension located at a point immediately ad mounted within the tubular member, rack teeth formed on the stem, gripping jaws carried by the stem, a shaft rotatably mounted within the recess, said shaft having teeth formed thereon and adapted to mesh with the teeth formed on the stem, means for securing the shaft against longitudinalflmovement within the said recess, and amanipulating handle secured to the said shaf In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

FRANK WILLIAMS.

, ll itnessesz W. NnUs'rAn'r. T. C. SPEIGLE. 

